A Minnow Speaks: Hoping the Whales and other members listen......
I've said these things elsewhere so I will say some of them here too. I wrote this reply on the @ozchartart post today with all the whales fighting and flagging and whatnot while the community and regular posters suffer.
(Link at end of my blog post)
I am one of the many minnows struggling on the platform continually putting out some good content and continually getting not many views, votes, comments and payouts. Most of them are under $1.
I work hard on here. I really do. You can say it is subjective, like with Oz's charts or with this whale's comments, or that person's posts -- but I know myself and what I am dealing with and I work hard on here.
I'm not really a blogger per se. Just a regular guy who blogs. Yes, there's a difference.
So I fully understand what it is like to do my best on here and see the same people making all the bank no matter what they post and what it is like to see a "drained" reward pool and that is precisely why many people have left while I have stayed and struggled and posted daily here and interacted lots with people.
Graphic showing I am in the top 25 or so on comments, and now nearing 4200 posts. I did not buy those posts. I did not mine those posts. I have no bot set up.
I have been on here typing them myself, trying to build a community.
Just saying, I am on here a lot, as a regular person.
Regular people are the key for growth, I will say again. And the graphic there just shows you I am on here trying my best. Like many many others.
I am a regular person, not an IT person, not the most talented but I am a regular guy and possess regular guy online knowledge. Online stuff has never been a big interest to me. My talents in life lie elsewhere and I don't like struggling with computer stuff I will say again. It is not super fun to me.
As that regular guy crypto noob I am open about being --- I found these Oz charts pretty helpful and again I will say -- if Steemit wants to open up to the masses, they have to engage regular non IT types like ME daily.
They are the key to mass adoption.
Charts like this have been easy for me to understand and learn from. The online programmer types and IT people need to understand this and know they are gifted behind a computer screen and not everyone lives in that space and they (you) are indeed in the minority.
Said another way, THE MASSES are like me -- who don't like being on a computer all day, don't have the software and interest and ideas to do the stuff you / they can do. It's not a shot, it's just a fact.
Another fact is we all have gifts and talents. And we should help one another to get along and prosper in all areas of our life. I could drop scripture here but I won't. But it is part of my life.
Do I think it is right that the only way anyone here can make any money is by hoping a whale upvotes you? No.
Do I think it is right to see some of the stuff trending every day that does while lots of us are regular daily posters and work hard here building a brand and content and community for Steemit, while the bulk of people suffers watching the problems and squabbling? No.
There is a huge disparity of power and commerce here. Yet we all have a stake.
I use Oz Charts to learn. Back to the regular guy stuff again.
I have found him funny and polite and he answers my questions. I regularly stop by his posts to learn but you would see to encourage him the last 90 days and say THANKS also -- because we are called to help and encourage each other as humans. Again, I could drop scripture but I won't.
The Whole World is Watching.
I have been sad to see most of us on here, get little help a lot of the time and watch these fights develop here and there -- saved on the Blockchain for everyone to see.
We are supposed to be building this big shiny new thing. Together.
I know my role on here. People are scared to say anything because 1 downvote by a whale could screw your whole account you worked hard for months to build and everyone knows this.
If the "top 50 whales and authors keep up the same things that are really causing the problems, then that is all Steemit will have at the end of the day -- the top 50 on here will have each other, and everyone else will leave" -- things I have said elsewhere. -- which you see happening over the months and I have already said why.
The slogan for Steemit is -- "Where you get paid to vote, post and comment" -- I have said elsewhere -- and also it does not say --- ..."if you are lucky enough to get a whale vote or 2, or are favoured as an author ..." etc.
I've been lucky to have had the odd founder or whale vote for my stuff in posts or comments and many of them have been named here today, or in the other posts or have commented. And that's great.
But the disparity of power here is the root of a lot of the problem. I say again.
Think of alllll the problems here -- flagging, who is right, the politics, yada yada -- it generally comes down to the power brokers.
Sadly -- like most other places in life. And that bums me out.
The minnows and regular people = the long term success of Steemit and mass adoption, I say again.
If all you whales keep ignoring the main issues, and fighting with each other, there will BE NO STEEMIT I have said --- someone will just look at the issues here - what was right, what was wrong --- and go build the next Steemit from the template here they saw.
... and that would be a shame.
I am a regular person, with regular issues on here, who posts regularly, and is doing my level best and not getting anywhere.
Mass adoption by people like me, I say again, is the key and many have left because of this and the roadmap out just yesterday -- clearly identifies onboarding by the masses and making it easier and changing some thing are the key, so my evidence is backed up there even by official sources.
It makes me sad watching all these petty fights and arguments and power struggles on here.
I've been a well known activist for years like you guys calling this stuff out in life. It has cost me a lot and I want this place to be different. I was run over by a car and many of you know this and my file is being buried, because I have called out the politics of division and waste of tax dollars and the theft of civil liberties trying to help the greater good and now I am suffering for truth speak since 2008-9.
Am I going to suffer now even more on here, for speaking my mind? Because like the issues on here, and the fights, that would be a real tragedy of the commons.
I came here to Steemit for LIBERTY.
To learn and share and be rewarded as advertised.
This place is supposed to be DIFFERENT BY DESIGN than all the places the Liberty Minded types are already suffering in and that is what is supposed to be drawing us TOGETHER for real change.
Change we can believe in.
Build another system since the old one is not working... they said.
That can be taken a lot of ways and I love this and what Steemit can become and it cannot be done without you computer / IT smart guys ---
and it cannot be done without us regular people -- or you smart computer types will only have each other to talk to and we see how well that is going so far.
We are called to encourage one another -- I say again. None of us are getting out alive and we need to build this thing together.
-- end Blue Collar Barry post ----
Check my posts, because largely, they have all been Steem Powered like many others -- to INVEST in this community - to build it with you guys, not in spite of you guys --- TOGETHER.
Just a Minnow --
Whales and Community have been fighting for days and days but I posted my reply on this one here today and that is what you just read. I really wanted to use a 6th tag here but we cannot -- and it would have been FAMILY
@ozchartart/my-response-to-dantheman-s-downvoting-campaign-against-me
EDIT - the day after this post --- my post here was used by long time user and Steemit Queen and Elder on the platform - @stellabelle -- as an example of a post deserving of more rewards on the Steemit platform WRT to the amount of ENGAGEMENT it generated -- things I have said a long time now. She is one of the people trying to find solutions to the issues and we thank her for that :
@stellabelle/engagement-guild-proposal-user-retention-solution-watch-video-explanation
... and to @rebeccaryan who also had a typical genius post with her brains and charm and humour along the same lines -- she is great if you have not followed her! A tiny little bundle of awesome is what she is!
@rebeccaryan/what-little-fish-say-to-each-other
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